Update: A crew from Fox News witnessed the entire attack. Their description is gruesome:

During that conversation, another man — who we now know is Ben Jacobs of The Guardian — walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianforte’s face and began asking if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon.

At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the reporter. As Gianforte moved on top of Jacobs, he began yelling something to the effect of, “I’m sick and tired of this!”

Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. Jacobs then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. Gianforte looked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. At that point, I told him and Scanlon, who was now present, that we needed a moment. The men then left.

Republican US House candidate for the special election in Montana this week, Greg Gianforte, attacked a reporter with the Guardian newspaper tonight, body slamming him to the ground, and breaking his glasses, for simply asking the candidate about the CBO analysis of the House GOP health care bill.

The reporter had to subsequently be treated in an ambulance, and reported the assault to the police.

Gianforte subsequently issued a denial of the entire incident, blaming it on the reporter, Ben Jacobs, and claiming that Gianforte asked the reporter to move a microphone out of his face, and Jacobs declined. The Guardian has released audio of the incident that shows Gianforte lied — he never mentioned a microphone, and Jacobs never declined.

If Gianforte gave the same lie when talking to the police, that’s a second crime, along with the assault.

Here is Gianforte’s denial, read it carefully, then listen to the audio.

And here’s the audio from the Guardian, disproving Gianforte’s claims. You’ll note that not only does Gianforte say nothing about the microphone, nor does the reporter say he won’t to remove the microphone (another false claim from Gianforte), but note what happens after the assault. The reporter immediately says “you broke my glasses” and “you body slammed me.” Gianforte doesn’t deny it, but rather goes off on tirade about how sick and tired he is of reporters.

Below the audio is the transcript:

It’s stunning.

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John AravosisFollow me on Twitter: @aravosis | @americablog | @americabloggay | Facebook | Instagram | Google+ | LinkedIn. John Aravosis is the Executive Editor of AMERICAblog, which he founded in 2004. He has a joint law degree (JD) and masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown; and has worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, and as a stringer for the Economist. He is a frequent TV pundit, having appeared on the O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline, AM Joy & Reliable Sources, among others. John lives in Washington, DC. John's article archive.